In response to City Council direction on December 11, 2017, Vaughan
Animal Services began exploring whether the City of Vaughan has an issue with "free-roaming cats", cats which roam freely on our streets; this includes pet cats that have been let out by their owners (although this is prohibited in the by-law), and "feral cats", cats which live outdoors, have no owners and have not been socialized by people. This exploration is intended to determine if there is an issue, and if so, how best to address this in a manner which
supports our City’s public health, safety and quality of life.

NEWS AND UPDATES

In spring of 2018, staff conducted an Access Vaughan telephone survey, held several public and stakeholder consultations, and began conducting research on a broad range of relevant topics, including Vaughan information on cats, the experiences and practices of other municipalities and public agencies, cat population impacts on other species, and input from various animal advocates.

Staff submitted a report on free roaming cats to Committee of the Whole on June 5, 2018 summarizing this work, and will continue to work towards better understanding free roaming cats in the City and how best to addressing any issues.